Fighting Rages as Kobani Teeters on Falling to IS Militants
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Smoke rises in the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc, October 9, 2014.
Smoke rises in the Syrian town of Kobani, seen from near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc, October 9, 2014.

Fighting raged on Friday in the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani near the Turkish border, with Syrian Kurdish leaders saying key government buildings have fallen to Islamic State forces.

Kurdish sources told VOA’s Jamie Dettmer on the Turkish side of the border that the Islamic State has control of the court house, police headquarters and the main municipal building the city center. Anwar Muslim, head of the Kobani Council, said the Islamic State is in control of half of the city, including Kurdish defense forces headquarters.

Ashya Abdullah, co-chair of a prominent Syrian-Kurdish political party (PYD), told VOA’s Kurdish service from Kobani there is “very, very intense fighting” in two parts of the city.

Kurdish fighters are trying to halt a three-week offensive by the Islamic State on the strategic border city, as militants aim to take complete control of the area.

The U.S. military continued carrying out air strikes on Islamic State targets in Kobani on Friday, firing at sites much closer to the center of the city, especially in areas close to the Turkish border.

The U.N. envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, urged Turkey to let Kurd “volunteers” cross the border so they can reinforce Kurdish militias defending the city. He warned that 700 civilians who remain trapped in Kobani, plus about 12,000 gathered nearby, will most likely be “massacred” if the city falls to the Islamists.

U.S. defense officials said on Thursday Kurdish militias remain in control of “most of the city,” known also as Ayn al-Arab, and are resisting a takeover by Islamic State militants.

Kobani’s defense chief, Ismet Hasan told VOA the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, known as the YPG, held off the militant group in fierce clashes overnight. He added that the IS group is receiving reinforcements from the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Raqqa.

“For 25 days we have been resisting the IS with light weapons, but with the full determination of YPG fighters and the people of Kobani. We will continue resisting against IS terrorists but we need heavy weapons. If the U.S. can provide us weapons that are capable of eliminating their heavy weapons, like tanks and artillery, and continue air strikes against [the IS], we are confident we will be able to kill them all,” stated Hasan.

After much of the local population sought refuge in Turkey, Kurdish fighters rallied to defend the city and asked for international support.

U.S. and NATO officials on Thursday held talks in Ankara aimed at convincing Turkey to make a greater contribution to the global anti-Islamic State coalition.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that discussions about Turkey’s contributions to fighting the militants are ongoing.

Turkey’s parliament has authorized military action in Syria and Iraq, but Turkish forces have not carried out any actions against the militants.

Stoltenberg said the Islamic State group poses a threat to Syria, Iraq, Turkey and to NATO nations. “So it is important that the whole international community stays united in this long-term effort. I welcome the decisive actions taken by the United States with many allies and partners and I welcome the recent vote in the Turkish parliament to authorize an even more active role of Turkey in the crisis,” he said.

He also said a no-fly zone or buffer zone in the region is not yet under consideration.

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UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, shows a map of the Syrian town of Kobane during a press conference at the UN office in Geneva on Oct. 10. AFP Photo
UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, shows a map of the Syrian town of Kobane during a press conference at the UN office in Geneva on Oct. 10. AFP Photo
U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura on Oct. 10 called on Turkey to allow Kurds to cross back into Syria to defend the key border town of Kobane from an onslaught by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists.

“We would like to appeal to the Turkish authorities in order to allow the flow of volunteers at least, and their equipment to be able to enter the city to contribute to a self-defence operation,” de Mistura, the U.N.’s Syria envoy, told reporters in Geneva.

He also called on Turkey, “if they can, to support the deterrent actions of the coalition through whatever means from their own territory.”

Kobane, where Kurdish fighters are holding out after a three-week offensive by the ISIL militants, has become a crucial battleground in the fight against he ISIL extremists.

The statement marked an unusual one by the United Nations, which usually strives to stay neutral in conflicts, but de Mistura explained the rare appeal by the precarious situation in the key border town.

Kobane was “literally surrounded” except for one narrow entry and exit point, with up to 700 mainly elderly civilians still inside the city centre, with another 10,000-13,000 gathered nearby, he said.

“If this falls, the 700 plus perhaps if they move a little bit further the 12,000 people … will be most likely massacred,” he warned.

Since the ISIL assault on Kobane began in mid-September, nearly 500 people have been killed in and around the town and 300,000 have fled the region.

Battles have been raging especially fiercely since the jihadists breached Kobane’s defences earlier this week.

Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be a major prize for the ISIL, giving it unbroken control of a long stretch of the border.

The militants who have rampaged across large parts of Iraq and Syria have sent shockwaves through the international community as they have committed highly publicized brutal murders, including beheadings of several Western hostages.
October/10/2014